Baseball scout in breach of child protection register

HE BILLS himself as “the Jerry Maguire of Australian baseball”, a talent scout recruiting for the American major leagues.

But Trevor Jarrett has a conviction for possessing child pornography and, as a registered offender under child protection laws, failed to tell police he was working with children.

He claimed he was retired but police discovered Jarrett owned and ran BJS Player Management, which caters to teenage baseball players aiming for the big league. It came to light after he was stopped while driving with a 17-year-old aspiring baseball player in the car.

When Jarrett, 63, faced Downing Centre Local Court yesterday he pleaded guilty to three charges, including providing false information about his registration on the Child Protection Register.

Numerous recruitment letters sent to parents or their children – members of the NSW Junior Baseball League or AA League – were found on his laptop, court papers revealed.

“I am the most experienced baseball agent in Australia,” Jarrett wrote. “I take . . . a ‘holistic’ approach to being an agent – I am concerned for the overall well-being of my players. I become their manager; their confidant; their friend.”

The former Australian Baseball Federation president boasts as clients five of the seven Australians currently in the major leagues.

He has coached junior state teams, managed several Australian youth teams and as a past chairman of selectors is responsible for developing youth baseball in Australia.

In April 2005, Jarrett was given a suspended nine-month jail term for possessing child pornography and put on a good behaviour bond.

Child porn conviction in baseball agent’s past

HE CALLS himself the “Jerry Maguire of Australian baseball” and the sport’s most experienced Australian agent.

His sales pitch to young male clients promises a chance at winning lucrative overseas contracts playing in professional leagues, telling them his management is “an opportunity you don’t want to miss”.

But what Trevor Lindsay Jarrett has not told potential recruits and their parents is that he was convicted in 2005 of possessing child pornography.

Until 30 days ago, when the police came calling, the Australian Baseball Federation was also unaware of his past.

The federation, of which Jarrett, 63, is a lifetime member, also did not know his name was on the Child Protection Registry or that he was required to report regularly to Kings Cross police.

Yesterday in the Downing Centre Local Court, Jarrett pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information when he told police he was unemployed and had no affiliation with any club or organisation in which children take part. He pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with reporting obligations under child protection laws.

Jarrett, of East Sydney, came to the attention of police when they stopped a car he was travelling in on the F3 at Ourimbah. The 17-year-old driver said Jarrett was helping him sign a contract in the US to play in the pro baseball league.

Jarrett was given a nine-month suspended sentence for possessing child pornography.

The magistrate, Antony Townsden, ordered Jarrett undergo a psychiatric assessment before sentencing on April 3.